Sakuya (Chapter)

Sakuya is the 9th chapter of the SERVAMP manga series.

Summary
Mahiru realizes that in a sushi restaurant with his Uncle, they have been seated next to Tsubaki. Mahiru asks Tsubaki why he is here. Tsubaki replies that he is eating lunch. Uncle Toru tells Mahiru to introduce Tsubaki to him, which makes Mahiru suggest leaving. Uncle Toru then makes a pun about sushi and Tsubaki begins laughing uncontrollably. Toru asks Tsubaki if he liked his joke, Tsubaki says no. Toru's phone then rings and he gets a call from work. He tells Mahiru that he has to take the call and leaves the two alone.

Once alone, Tsubaki suggests having a chat about Sakuya with Mahiru. Tsubaki says that Mahiru must be curious about Sakuya's feelings now as opposed to how they were back then. Mahiru gets confused and asks Tsubaki why he would tell him. Tsubaki then asks Mahiru if he likes fishing. Mahiru gets frustrated and confused at the supposed change in subject. Tsubaki tells him that he himself has no patience, but all you need to fish is bait. He says you toss some in to stir up the water and that Mahiru is hooked.

Tsubaki then begins telling Mahiru about Sakuya, saying that he came from a town of liars and that his older sister lied to him first. A flashback to Sakuya's childhood begins where he and his sister are talking on a swingset. She says that their father is coming home that day so Sakuya should stay inside his room. Sakuya asks about her and she says that she will be fine. Continuing the flashback at Sakuya's home, Sakuya's sister and their parents are seen on a balcony. Young Sakuya peeks out of his room and hears his sister asks how much money her parents will get if she dies. He hears her make her parents promise to leave Sakuya alone. Her father promises and she jumps off the balcony, dying. Sakuya rushes out of his room and his father grabs him. His father tells Sakuya to pretend what happened was an accident and to tell the police that she fell unless he wants to suffer the same fate. He tells Sakuya that his sister died for him and to respect her sacrifice.

The police come to Sakuya's house and he tells them that they were playing and that his sister just fell. Tsubaki says that this was Sakuya's first lie and that it was so his parents could get insurance payments. He mentioned that the neighbors lied too, so it was as if the whole town had killed his sister. Tsubaki continues, saying that six years later Sakuya suffered the same fate. Sakuya lay nearly dead after jumping as Tsubaki approaches him. Tsubaki tells this Sakuya that he came for him. Sakuya drinks Tsubaki's blood and this is how he became a vampire and Tsubaki's servant.

Back in the present, Tsubaki asks Mahiru if he knew that because they were friends and begins laughing hysterically again. Mahiru is shaken up from Tsubaki's story. Tsubaki asks for the check and tells Mahiru that he is leaving because Kuro, who is in Mahiru's backpack, is scary. Tsubaki can feel Kuro's anger seeping through Mahiru's bag. Tsubaki says he is not in the mood today before leaving. This leaves Mahiru alone while thinking to himself if Tsubaki knows where Sakuya is. He wants Tsubaki to give Sakuya back to him. Uncle Toru finishes his call and walks back to Mahiru, wondering where Tsubaki went. He finds Mahiru hunched over in his seat. Mahiru begins telling his Uncle that he lost someone he cares about. He says that he never really knew him, but the worst part was that he told him a lie. Toru notes that he thought Mahiru seemed sad. Mahiru continues by saying that he wanted to protect people like his Uncle, but in the end he was clueless.

Uncle Toru says that while he doesn't know Mahiru's situation, friendship is simple. Uncle Toru pats Mahiru's head and advises Mahiru to tell his friend that he will always be there for him no matter what happens. Mahiru begins to cry. Mahiru thinks that he wanted to be like his Uncle and wonders if Sakuya still trusts him since he pulled a weapon on him and thinks he should ask him.

Uncle Toru says that mistakes are okay, but regrets aren't. He says that everyone is different, including Mahiru's friend, but that they share the same world so they should try to connect again in a week or two. Mahiru scarfs down his food and thanks his Uncle.

Mahiru starts heading for school. Mahiru thinks about Sakuya and how he never really knew him and that he is so sorry about everything. He wonders how Sakuya looked back then and a flashback to the two of them in school earlier begins.

In the flashback, Mahiru is speaking with his Uncle on the phone about a conference for parents to go to. Mahiru's Uncle cannot make it because he is stuck at work and Mahiru is upset by this. Sakuya pops in to greet Mahiru by asking to have dinner with him. Sakuya then asks Mahiru if his Uncle can make the conference. Mahiru tells him no, meaning no one will be at the conference. Sakuya tells Mahiru to cheer up and suggests that they see the teacher together. He says that the two of them will have their very own conference and that it's a cool idea. He tells Mahiru that he is not alone. Looking back on this memory Mahiru remembers that he was always happy back then and that the two of them laughed all the time.

In the present, Mahiru arrives at the classroom out of breath and sweating. His classmates note that he is late, not wearing his uniform, and injured. They then begin swarming Mahiru with concerns about the festival. Mahiru ignores all of this and asks where Sakuya is. The classmates ask who Sakuya is, not remembering him. Mahiru tries to make them remember but to no avail. Ryusei, who actually remembers Sakuya, then speaks up. He says that Sakuya was their classmate who left last week. Ryusei says he can recall Sakuya's jokes, but not his face. Mahiru thinks to himself that Sakuya is a coward and tells Ryusei that it will be okay.

At the hospital, Misono gets a message from Mahiru asking if he is okay and thanking him for fighting for him. Lily reads it and says that Mahiru will be stopping by. Misono tells Lily to tell Mahiru not to come. Lily ignores this and sends Mahiru a map and a photo. Misono gets flustered and takes the phone from Lily. Misono finally reads the message Mahiru sent and tells Lily to send that he will get back to him. Misono reflects that there was so much chaos yet he did not save a single friend. Misono faces away from Lily in his hospital bed and is trembling. He tells Lily that he wants to get strong.

At Mahiru's school the culture festival starts. Sakuya is seen walking through the halls wearing a mask and observing. He spots Ryusei wearing a sign that says "Kick me Sakuya" on the back. Sakuya looks panicked and avoids him.

Suddenly Kuro in his cat form comes flying toward Sakuya's face and hits him. Sakuya is confused and looks around. Mahiru, who threw Kuro from across the hall, calls out to Sakuya. Sakuya drops Kuro and runs away, followed by Mahiru chasing him. Mahiru yells at Sakuya to wait and pleads Sakuya to talk to him. Sakuya asks why Mahiru wants to talk to him since he tried to kill him and Misono. Mahiru says that is not true-- Sakuya tried to save him. Mahiru says that Sakuya should, however, at least apologize. Sakuya asks how he could since they are enemies, after all. Mahiru yells that Sakuya is not his enemy, but his friend. This makes Sakuya stagger, feeling surprised and upset. Sakuya tells Mahiru that he created the false memory and that they had only met last year. He says he lied to get close to Mahiru. Sakuya, who had led them to the roof, walks along the fence at the edge of the building. Mahiru bursts in and tells Sakuya that it has been a great year and to come back to him. Sakuya says they can't hang out because he is not a real person, he is different. Sakuya then jumps off the roof of the building. Mahiru screams that Sakuya's reasoning is stupid and jumps off after him, reaching out to Sakuya and grabs his shirt. Sakuya is confused and Mahiru says that he has power now and that it doesn't matter if Sakuya is a vampire. Mahiru begins calling his lead in mid-air. The broom appears and he commands it to fly. It does not obey and they both crash to the ground.

Kuro lands in a tree while Mahiru lands on top of Sakuya, who asks if Mahiru's weapon can fly. Mahiru says yes, it sure looks like it can. Mahiru says, thinking simply, a black cat and a broom should be able to fly. Sakuya says that was intense and chuckles. Mahiru and Sakuya then laugh together. Sakuya's blushing laugh then quickly turns to tears. Mahiru looks concerned as Sakuya begins saying he really needed a good laugh way back when. He begins telling him of a conversation he had with Tsubaki when he was younger right after his sister died.

In the flashback, they are seated on a swingset as Sakuya confesses that he has lied and killed his sister and thinks that he should have died instead. Tsubaki tells him not to blame himself. He says to Sakuya that he did nothing wrong and that he is still in shock. Sakuya starts crying. Tsubaki tells Sakuya that later he will come for him.

In the present Sakuya explains that Tsubaki kept his word by coming to Sakuya when he was dying. He says that Tsubaki reached out to him and that he finally felt safe. Mahiru thinks that Sakuya is just like him in regards to his Uncle.

Sakuya asks Mahiru not to kill Tsubaki. Mahiru agrees, but says that he will stop Tsubaki. He says that it is a job for Kuro and himself. He tells Sakuya that he is not alone because he has himself and Tsubaki and everyone else. Sakuya tells Mahiru not to lie to him and Mahiru says he isn't. Sakuya tightly grabs Mahiru by the shoulders and says he wants to believe him. Sakuya smiles and blushes at Mahiru and says he understands. They touch hands and Sakuya says that right now they can't be together and then disappears from Mahiru's sight. Mahiru stands up and yells for Sakuya to wait.

Mahiru turns to Kuro and tells him that he needs to stop Tsubaki for good. To do this, he says that they both need to be strong. Kuro says that he can't deal. The point of view switches to Sakuya as he remembers his time with Mahiru. He thinks how he comes from a town of liars and that last year he crashed a middle school just for fun. Middle school Mahiru and Sakuya are shown and Sakuya is seen as the new kid. They are outside and Mahiru comes up to him, asking him many questions. Mahiru reaches out his hand and introduces himself to Sakuya, revealing their first meeting. Sakuya thinks that as soon as he saw Mahiru's smile he knew that he wanted to be his friend.

Back in the present Sakuya starts crying and mentally thanking Mahiru for reaching out and taking his hand.

Character Debuts

 * Sakuya's parents (flashback only)